Ranked Shooter Campaign Recommendations
All the shooter campaigns that I've played that I rated 3.5* or over, ranked.
20 Games
Underated. Titanfall 2 has one of the best FPS campaigns ever made. The relationship between BT and Jack Cooper is surprisingly compelling and helped keep my gripped from start to finish. The pacing is impeccable with a great balance of parkour, pilot and titan gameplay. Level design is another high point, especially THAT mission that takes advantage of the time travel core. My only real complaint is that a longer campaign could’ve really helped flesh things out.
1
A sequel done right. Among Thieves improves upon the original in almost every department. The set pieces are far grander with this globetrotting adventure taking you to a variety of beautiful locations. This variety is matched, for the most part, by more diverse gameplay with some truly breathtaking set pieces matched by quieter moments unravelling puzzles and exploring the world around you allowing you take a breath. The incredible opening ensures you are invested from the start, wondering how Drake ended up in such dire straits. Though the villains are quite generic, the storytelling and voice acting are phenomenal. Its truly a cinematic experience of epic proportions which is well worth your time.
2
Who thought combining Borderlands with Dungeon and Dragons would work so well? Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep is set in a fantasy world from the board game that the characters are playing, with Tiny Tina acting as the board master. The storytelling has no right to be this good, with fantastic, witty writing as the characters playing the board game narrate your adventure, with the hilarious Tiny Tina being at the centre of it all. How the narrative breaks the 4th wall is incredibly clever, as Tina dynamically changes the world and questline itself as she makes up the rules of the game on the go. However, there is a more serious undertone as the campaign shows how Tina is in grieving over the loss of one of her friends in Borderlands 2, and 2K does a surprisingly competent job of portraying Tina’s stages of grief without compromising the light-hearted tone of the campaign.
The campaign itself is really well paced, with a whole host of varied fantasy locations that take inspiration from some of the best media in the genre. This leads to some great environmental design and visual variety, with an impressive attention to detail as almost all assets in the game have been overhauled to fit in with the fantasy theme. Moreover, the soundtrack and audio design are fantastic. The campaign itself does a good job of mixing up the endless shooting galleries we’ve come to expect with Borderlands, with puzzles and traversal, but there are still a few areas where it just felt like the game was throwing wave after wave of enemies at you for the sake of padding out the length rather than to provide a challenge. The enemy variety does somewhat make up for this, but I still wish that these encounters were more engaging, with less bullet spongey enemies. Even though there are lots of enemy types, the majority of these are quite basic with simple attack patterns. I wish that 2k took more advantage of the fantasy theme by creating more wacky enemies like the necromancers and mimic monsters. Outside of the main quest there is a tonne of side quests to complete, these vary in quality but do at least provide the player with a reason to return to the world after the main questline is over.
I had a tonne of fun with Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, enjoying it even more than Borderlands 2 itself. Its by no means perfect, but the excellent storytelling, world building and main questline make it well worth your time.
The campaign itself is really well paced, with a whole host of varied fantasy locations that take inspiration from some of the best media in the genre. This leads to some great environmental design and visual variety, with an impressive attention to detail as almost all assets in the game have been overhauled to fit in with the fantasy theme. Moreover, the soundtrack and audio design are fantastic. The campaign itself does a good job of mixing up the endless shooting galleries we’ve come to expect with Borderlands, with puzzles and traversal, but there are still a few areas where it just felt like the game was throwing wave after wave of enemies at you for the sake of padding out the length rather than to provide a challenge. The enemy variety does somewhat make up for this, but I still wish that these encounters were more engaging, with less bullet spongey enemies. Even though there are lots of enemy types, the majority of these are quite basic with simple attack patterns. I wish that 2k took more advantage of the fantasy theme by creating more wacky enemies like the necromancers and mimic monsters. Outside of the main quest there is a tonne of side quests to complete, these vary in quality but do at least provide the player with a reason to return to the world after the main questline is over.
I had a tonne of fun with Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, enjoying it even more than Borderlands 2 itself. Its by no means perfect, but the excellent storytelling, world building and main questline make it well worth your time.
3
Three games into this franchise and I finally understand why it is beloved by so many. Halo 3 maintains the fantastic soundtrack, gunplay, variety and pacing which made the previous entry so memorable. However, improved level design, enemy design and some surprising emotional beats in the story help elevate this experience. The final levels in this game are sheer bliss and are among the best I’ve experienced in an FPS campaign. Though there is still some room for improvement with the repetitiveness of facing seemingly endless waves of enemies and the lack of engaging bosses. However, this is still an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the original master chief trilogy, excelling both in its gameplay and story.
4
One of the most innovative shooters I’ve played in years SUPERHOT The gameplay mechanics and physics are incredibly satisfying SUPERHOT The pacing of the campaign is fantastic SUPERHOT The art style is really bold and eye catching SUPERHOT I found the twisted, quirky narrative intriguing SUPERHOT The challenges and endless mode are great post game content, but I wish you didn’t have to grind to unlock all their levels SUPERHOT All in all, this game is SUPERHOT
5
Modern Warfare’s campaign is a triumph. The incredibly realistic graphics and top-notch sound design really helps immerse you in the experience. Though I would’ve liked to have seen a more diverse colour palette, with more location variety. The story had me engaged more than any other game in the series with fantastic performances from the likes of Captain Price, Farah and Alex. I particularly enjoyed the flashback missions which really helps paint a picture of why Farah and Hadir’s are fighting for freedom. However, the villains aren’t quite as engaging and are a bit more one dimensional. Moreover, the cliff-hanger ending which so blatantly sets up a sequel was a major anti-climax.
The gameplay itself is fantastic. Very rarely will you be put in the endless shooting galleries of old. There is always something to mix up gunfights, whether it be suicide bombers charging at you, enemies bursting out of doorways or environmental hazards contend with. This variety extends to the mission design, where one minute you’ll be defending a village from mortar fire and suicide vehicles with a sniper, and the next you’ll be sneaking through a cave full of traps and hazards. One particular highlight is a night-time stealth mission where you are dropped into an environment and given the freedom to complete your objectives in whatever way you choose, taking advantage of lighting to conceal your movements. Infinity Ward’s decision to be more experimental with mission design, though not executed perfectly all the time, is an out and out success and I hope the franchise continues to innovate like this in the future.
The gameplay itself is fantastic. Very rarely will you be put in the endless shooting galleries of old. There is always something to mix up gunfights, whether it be suicide bombers charging at you, enemies bursting out of doorways or environmental hazards contend with. This variety extends to the mission design, where one minute you’ll be defending a village from mortar fire and suicide vehicles with a sniper, and the next you’ll be sneaking through a cave full of traps and hazards. One particular highlight is a night-time stealth mission where you are dropped into an environment and given the freedom to complete your objectives in whatever way you choose, taking advantage of lighting to conceal your movements. Infinity Ward’s decision to be more experimental with mission design, though not executed perfectly all the time, is an out and out success and I hope the franchise continues to innovate like this in the future.
6
On the face of it, Vanquish looks like just another generic cover shooter, but it’s anything but that. Fast movement and an incredibly satisfying power sliding system enable you to zip across arenas at breakneck pace, dodging bullets and dispatching enemies with the well-timed usage of your slow-mo ability. Cover shooting is still a viable option but is nowhere near as satisfying as sliding out of the way of bullets and missiles as you see them slide past your face in slow motion before you return fire and take out those attempting to murder you. The gameplay is fast and frenetic but gives you just enough time to catch your breath and not make it feel like you’re just making your way through endless shooting galleries. I can’t stress enough how good the moment to moment gameplay feels.
Enemy design is also top notch, with creative visuals, robust AI and plenty of variety, with new enemy types being introduced regularly throughout the campaign. I particularly enjoyed being able to break down larger enemies by dismembering their body parts before finishing them off. Another high point is the fantastic and varied level design, taking advantage of the futuristic setting, evolving battlefields and verticality to make for some really memorable sequences and set pieces. There’s some decent weapon variety to use on these missions too. It’s just a shame that they are not well balanced, meaning you’re probably going to use a similar loadout for most of the game, and being only able to upgrade weapons that are fully loaded is such a pointless requirement.
The game’s narrative is pretty generic and forgettable. It’s the sort of plot and characters that could’ve been put into any action movie and is not engaging whatsoever. The premise is interesting enough, but the execution is poor. The highlight for me genuinely might be how realistic they managed to get smoking a cigarette to look in cutscenes. Luckily the gameplay is the focus so this didn’t really detract from my experience too much.
Vanquish gave me some of the best thrills I’ve had playing a videogame. It’s slightly marred by a lacklustre story and some questionable design decisions, but that doesn’t stop it from being a stellar third person shooter.
Enemy design is also top notch, with creative visuals, robust AI and plenty of variety, with new enemy types being introduced regularly throughout the campaign. I particularly enjoyed being able to break down larger enemies by dismembering their body parts before finishing them off. Another high point is the fantastic and varied level design, taking advantage of the futuristic setting, evolving battlefields and verticality to make for some really memorable sequences and set pieces. There’s some decent weapon variety to use on these missions too. It’s just a shame that they are not well balanced, meaning you’re probably going to use a similar loadout for most of the game, and being only able to upgrade weapons that are fully loaded is such a pointless requirement.
The game’s narrative is pretty generic and forgettable. It’s the sort of plot and characters that could’ve been put into any action movie and is not engaging whatsoever. The premise is interesting enough, but the execution is poor. The highlight for me genuinely might be how realistic they managed to get smoking a cigarette to look in cutscenes. Luckily the gameplay is the focus so this didn’t really detract from my experience too much.
Vanquish gave me some of the best thrills I’ve had playing a videogame. It’s slightly marred by a lacklustre story and some questionable design decisions, but that doesn’t stop it from being a stellar third person shooter.
7
Fanastic variety, mission design and pacing made this campaign a joy to playthrough. By far the best Battlefield campaign.
8
Great narrative, pacing and combat combine to create a really memorable campaign that still holds up well.
9
The step up in quality from Halo to Halo 2 is pretty remarkable. What was most striking to me from the outset was the storytelling. Halo 2’s story, albeit nowhere near Oscar worthy, is far more nuanced and engaging than the original's abysmal story. What’s more the cutscenes are stunning. I always looked forward to gawping at their incredible fidelity and excellent visual design at the end of missions. In the story itself, the back and forth between master chief and the arbiter not only gives a more holistic viewpoint of both sides of the war but also helps with the pacing of the game. Missions themselves are varied and for the most part well designed. The range of vehicles, enemies and weapons found throughout only added to the experience. Though some weaker levels and repetitive sequences of fighting wave after wave of enemies did drag it down. Moreover, the game’s ending left a sour taste in my mouth. The final boss was a bullet spongey anti-climax and leaving the game on a cliff-hanger felt criminal. Regardless, Halo 2 does enough for me to recommend it to those who haven’t played it before thanks to its tight gunplay, fantastic pacing and gorgeous cutscenes. Its by no means among the best in the genre by today’s standards, but the fact this has aged so well speaks volumes to the quality of the experience.
10
A stellar remaster of a classic campaign. MW was a groundbreaking campaign at the time and MW2 somehow managed to take things to a whole new level. Missions are more diverse taking you all the way from the favellas to offshore Russian oil rigs. This diversity is matched with the gameplay. Some encounters haven’t aged that well, but the mixture of intense gun fights underpinned by top notch gunplay, tense stealth sections and satisfying slow motion breaches keeps the campaign well paced. It took me a while to get into the story, but the twists and turns towards the end really helped invest me into finishing the job. There are many memorable set pieces and the voice acting is fantastic. Beenox have done a superb job at not only bringing the visuals up to current standards but adding extras like fun modifiers and a museum where you can walk through exhibits themed around different missions, vehicles and weapons.
11
Borderlands 2 is packed full of personality and charm. There are many memorable characters dotted around this wasteland and I’m a big fan of the cartoony art style. However, missions end up being quite repetitive and the post-campaign can be a bit of a grind. Regardless, I had a lot of fun with the story even if the game didn’t quite hit the high notes I’d hoped it would.
12
After the mixed bag of Destiny’s previous campaigns, Forsaken is a welcome triumph. The storytelling and cutscenes in the first mission are exceptional, and the death of Cayde-6 sets a great tone for the remainder of the campaign, ensuring the player is invested to see out the campaign and get revenge for Cayde. It’s a shame pacing takes a hit after this strong opening, being forced to quite a few random bounties before you can progress to the next mission. However, once you get back on track the boss rush style campaign missions where you take out those who were involved with Cayde’s death are a real treat. Each have their own unique skillset which the whole level as well as the boss fight are centred around, and these are all fantastic. My one critique with these is that there are no cutscenes in this section of the campaign, so the story loses some momentum. However, towards the end everything comes together with an unexpected (for me at least) twist and some great level design in the final mission.
Forsaken is Bungie at its best. The new enemy type introduced is a welcome change, there are some stellar boss designs and the story is engaging. It’s a shame there are some pacing issues in the mid-section of the campaign but it’s still well worth your time, especially as it’ll be free in December before Bungie remove it from the game in February to make way for new content.
Forsaken is Bungie at its best. The new enemy type introduced is a welcome change, there are some stellar boss designs and the story is engaging. It’s a shame there are some pacing issues in the mid-section of the campaign but it’s still well worth your time, especially as it’ll be free in December before Bungie remove it from the game in February to make way for new content.
13
Halo Infinite is a welcome shake up of the Halo formula, which has become stale in the past couple entries, feeling both fresh and familiar. The open world of Zeta Halo is the game’s biggest innovation. There are still some linear missions, but a good chunk of the campaign consists of open world sections which provide a lot of flexibility with how objectives can be approached. Not to mention Zeta Halo is full of side missions and collectibles. Unfortunately, ‘quality over quantity’ seems to have been the approach taken with these side missions. There are a few standouts with the high value targets which have detailed back stories on their ascents to becoming feared killers and audio logs which provide intriguing lore. However, there is little to no context with most side missions other than kill everything in sight and it can often feel like you’re doing a check box ticking exercise.
Zeta Halo itself is visually impressive, and the game’s fantastic audio design and soundtrack really help immerse the player in the world. A more varied colour pallet and more biomes wouldn’t have gone amiss, but there is enough differentiation to make areas feel distinct from one another. Traversing this open world with the new grapple hook is a joy. Grappling up mountains and across ravines successfully is incredibly satisfying. Moreover, the grapple hook adds a completely new dynamic to combat, creating a more frenetic experience if you choose to grapple onto enemies and get in their faces at the risk of being overwhelmed by his comrades. Other abilities like the boost thrusters and shield barrier are a tonne of fun to use, and I often found myself switching between these to play off their strengths in encounters. What’s more, unlike a lot of games, the upgrades you can unlock for them are meaningful and can add further dimensions to their use.
To match your expanded arsenal, there are a host of new enemies as well as familiar faces which provide plenty of variety and, combined with how the game mixes linear and open world sequences in the main campaign, create a well-paced experience. Not to mention, this is the first Halo game which nails bosses. Most missions have bosses, and these bosses have diverse and engaging designs. They’re nothing groundbreaking, but it feels like Halo has finally caught up with its competition in this regard. It’s just a shame that this game’s story is forgettable, as I didn’t really have any emotional reaction to defeating bosses pivotal to the game’s narrative. What’s more the game relies too heavily on its gunplay. And while this gunplay is sublime, it can grow repetitive. More vehicle focussed missions and environmental puzzle solving would’ve really help mixed things up.
On a more positive note, Infinite’s multiplayer, in its current state, is a treat. There are plenty of game modes on offer, a good balance of community and developer created content and even a wave based objective based mode. There truly is a bit of something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a fast-paced 4v4 experience, a more strategic affair with 12v12 big team battle or wave-based combat against the banished AI.
Halo Infinite is a huge stride in the right direction for the franchise. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, it has a strong single player offering and a top notch multiplayer experience. Here’s hoping 343 can capitalise on the momentum they have created with Infinite in the future with the inevitable sequel(s) fighting the banished and the titular Atriox.
Zeta Halo itself is visually impressive, and the game’s fantastic audio design and soundtrack really help immerse the player in the world. A more varied colour pallet and more biomes wouldn’t have gone amiss, but there is enough differentiation to make areas feel distinct from one another. Traversing this open world with the new grapple hook is a joy. Grappling up mountains and across ravines successfully is incredibly satisfying. Moreover, the grapple hook adds a completely new dynamic to combat, creating a more frenetic experience if you choose to grapple onto enemies and get in their faces at the risk of being overwhelmed by his comrades. Other abilities like the boost thrusters and shield barrier are a tonne of fun to use, and I often found myself switching between these to play off their strengths in encounters. What’s more, unlike a lot of games, the upgrades you can unlock for them are meaningful and can add further dimensions to their use.
To match your expanded arsenal, there are a host of new enemies as well as familiar faces which provide plenty of variety and, combined with how the game mixes linear and open world sequences in the main campaign, create a well-paced experience. Not to mention, this is the first Halo game which nails bosses. Most missions have bosses, and these bosses have diverse and engaging designs. They’re nothing groundbreaking, but it feels like Halo has finally caught up with its competition in this regard. It’s just a shame that this game’s story is forgettable, as I didn’t really have any emotional reaction to defeating bosses pivotal to the game’s narrative. What’s more the game relies too heavily on its gunplay. And while this gunplay is sublime, it can grow repetitive. More vehicle focussed missions and environmental puzzle solving would’ve really help mixed things up.
On a more positive note, Infinite’s multiplayer, in its current state, is a treat. There are plenty of game modes on offer, a good balance of community and developer created content and even a wave based objective based mode. There truly is a bit of something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a fast-paced 4v4 experience, a more strategic affair with 12v12 big team battle or wave-based combat against the banished AI.
Halo Infinite is a huge stride in the right direction for the franchise. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, it has a strong single player offering and a top notch multiplayer experience. Here’s hoping 343 can capitalise on the momentum they have created with Infinite in the future with the inevitable sequel(s) fighting the banished and the titular Atriox.
14
Halo Reach takes a distinct tonal shift from previous entries. This darker tale, even with its narrative flaws, tells an engaging story of sacrifice and sheer will in the face of overwhelming odds. Much of the game feels familiar, but the addition of some new enemies, weapons and power ups do just enough to make this experience feel fresh. The power ups are my favourite addition as powers such as invisibility and temporary invincibility have a surprisingly significant impact on how you approach combat encounters. Its just a shame that the game can get repetitive in places with there being only the covenant for you to face and the level design, while still very good, is not quite up to the high bar I expect from Bungie. Regardless, this is still a great entry in the franchise that doesn’t need the chief for it to be an enjoyable and memorable experience.
15
So creative, with some great missions and utilisation of the ink spraying concept. I just wish there was more of it.
16
Drake’s Deception takes a far darker tone than previous entries in the series. Drake’s globetrotting escapades are catching up on him and endangering not only his relationship with those around him, but their lives too. The more grounded story is a breath of fresh air and exploring Nate’s psyche is fascinating. However, Naughty Dog’s attempts at marrying the gameplay with this decaying psyche are a bit hit and miss, with slower sections really upsetting the pacing of the game. Moreover, this game feels like déjà vu with many sequences feeling straight out of Among Thieves. Although this stifles the game is some areas, it still means the game maintains the spectacle and satisfying action gameplay the series is so well known for. It even improves certain aspects, with better puzzle design and some great hand to hand combat sequences. Although it does not reach the highs of Among Thieves, Drake’s Deception is still a fantastic game driven by a compelling story.
17
Far better than the base game, with great variety throughout the campaign and interesting insight into Claptrap's psyche.
18
A fantastic addition to a mediocre game. Actual storytelling and some great mission design make for a fun experience.
19
A great bridge between Borderlands 2 and 3. It adds some great new enemies, has an engaging main campaign and is packed full of world building side quests and easter eggs. I especially appreciated the connections this has to Tales from the Borderlands.
20